People living in one of the fastest-growing parts of Australia have been promised better public transport after a funding commitment for future rail connections to a new airport.
The federal government has earmarked about $1 billion to help secure land for rail corridors between Sydney’s southwest and the soon-to-be-opened Western Sydney International Airport.
This will pave the way for metro or train extensions from the new suburb of Bradfield – just south of the airport – to Leppington and Macarthur, providing access around the area and onwards to the Sydney central business district.
Currently, Leppington residents who want to reach Bradfield – some 13km away – have limited options: they can either drive for 15 minutes or spend more than two hours navigating the bus network.
“We don’t want residents of Sydney’s southwest to have to rely on buses to get to the airport,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
“We want them to have fast, frequent rail access, and our investment today will help deliver that.”
It is unclear when the new rail corridors will be delivered as the timelines have yet to be finalised with the state government, but Mr Albanese said his government was determined to plan for the future.
The federal government’s investment comes after it provided money for a $195 million joint business case with its NSW counterpart to explore future rail connections in Sydney’s west.
Construction is already under way for a new metro line between St Marys and Bradfield, due to be completed by 2027.
The extension addressed a “missing link” in western Sydney, said the Property Council of Australia.
But it warned further investment was needed to ensure an efficient and traveller-friendly rail network.
The existing heavy rail line between Leppington and Glenfield would need to be converted to metro to prevent unnecessary interchanges between the two networks, slowing down travel and limiting accessibility, said the council’s western Sydney regional director Ross Grove.
Under-served by public transport, the southwest Sydney suburbs of Oran Park and Narellan are likely to receive new high-capacity stations as part of the future Bradfield to Macarthur line.
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